18 Jul / 2012

A San Diego police officer pleaded no contest today to a misdemeanor charge of committing a lewd act in public. The charge was part of a plea deal where prosecutors agreed to drop a felony charge of sexual assault in exchange for the no contest plea.

Former officer Daniel Dana was charged last May for, what prosecutors claim, coercing a prostitute to have sex with him in his patrol car by threatening to arrest her if she did not comply with his request.

So, the Officer “got off” with a lighter sentence and one which does not require registration as a sex offender and San Diego obtained a conviction, both sides walked away with a compromise. This is a great example of what can be done when you hire an attorney at the earliest time after your arrest as possible. When Attorney Ross Erlich is retained, he can start contacting the investigating detectives and prosecutor to discuss resolution of the matter.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for lewd acts, solicitation of prostitution, DUI or hit-and-run in Beverly Hills or by LAX/Airport Court, contact Attorney Ross Erlich right now. Taking action early can help bring about the best possible resolution to your case.

Contact Attorney Ross Erlich here or call the office for a free consultation at (323) 222-4529.

17 Jul / 2012

The suspect involved in the fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred on Saturday night in Koreatown has turned himself in to authorities on Monday evening. On Saturday night, a 42 year-old man was hit at the intersection of Olympic and Norton and pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Pursuant to California Vehicle Code section 20002, any driver that is involved in a collision that results in any damage must stop at the nearest location so as not to impede traffic and make contact with the other party involved. Each party is also responsible for exchanging driver’s license information, registration information and valid insurance information in order to comply with California law.

Failure to stop, notify the other party or exchange this information can lead to an arrest or a notice to appear for a court date for a misdemeanor violation of California Vehicle Code section 20002.

If you have been charged with a hit-and-run it is important to contact Attorney Ross Erlich immediately. The earlier the work is started on your case, the more options there are available for you. Taking action early on a hit-and-run can lead to dismissals of the charges, civilly compromising the matter with the victim or possible reduction of the charges to avoid negative impact on your driving record.

If you have been arrested, cited or have questions regarding a hit-and-run in Beverly Hills, the LAX/Airport area, at the Metropolitan Courthouse or anywhere in Los Angeles county, contact attorney Ross Erlich at (323) 222-4529.

14 Jun / 2012

The California State Senate approved a bill this week that would make it easier for people convicted of DUIs and other low-level misdemeanors to reduce jail time, and in some cases, avoid jail altogether. This is a further example of California’s need to deal with over crowded jails and a shrinking budget to house those inmates.

AB 2127 would allow Sheriff Departments to give people convicted of these offenses credit towards their jail time (and possibly work release time) through participation in educational programs, job training, parenting and substance-abuse classes.

This is, of course, good news for anyone who has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI) or other low-level misdemeanors such as assault, battery, petty theft, hit and run and numerous other violations. While the exact details, and certainty of passage, is not yet final, this bill would provide criminal defense attorney’s with a greater arsenal of tools to keep client’s out of jail and with their families.

The bill was passed by a vote of 21-14, but goes back to the State Assembly for approval of other amendments added onto the bill.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI, petty theft, assault and battery, hit and run or any other misdemeanor in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or in the Airport Court, contact attorney Ross Erlich as soon as possible. Getting in touch with the prosecutor before any charges are filed can help obtain the most favorable result for you.

29 May / 2012

According to the California Highway Patrol, CHP officers arrested 187 people for DUI in L.A. County during the period between 6:00pm on Friday and 11:59pm on Monday. This number was down from 230 in 2011.

There are likely a number of factors that contributed to the decline, some of which include aggressive anti drinking and driving ad campaigns by law enforcement agencies, greater number of law enforcement officials patrolling the roads and highways and even the price of gasoline, which likely kept a significant number of people off the roads this past holiday weekend.

A DUI can be a scary experience and something that you should not have to go through alone. If you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI and has court at the Beverly Hills Courthouse, the Metropolitan Courthouse or the Airport Courthouse, contact Attorney Ross Erlich as soon as possible to prevent an automatic suspension of your license and to ensure that an aggressive defense is provided to you.

Contact the office of Ross Erlich at (818) 783-5700 or

15260 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1810
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

15 May / 2012

You might have heard by now that Governor Jerry Brown is issuing new cuts in services for the State of California in response to a revised $16 billion budget shortfall. Part of the services that Brown mentioned would be severely cut is the state’s trial court system, one of the largest in the country, by $544 million.

Now, you might be asking yourself, “what does this have to do with me?”. Well, it has everything to do with you. If you have been charged with a crime like driving under the influence (DUI), theft crimes, drug crimes, or a hit and run, less court resources means less services available to you. Wait times are going to increase, less courtrooms will be open which means the city and district attorneys are going to be even more overworked, and less attention will get paid to your case. Because of this, it is important that you hire Attorney Ross Erlich to handle your case and use our state’s current financial mess to your advantage.

One of the “advantages” of the cuts in state trial court funding is that the prosecutors will likely be more inclined to accept offers and plea bargains put forward by defense attorneys and structured to benefit our client. Drawing on Attorney Ross Erlich’s experience in dealing with prosecutors and arranging favorable plea bargains, Attorney Ross Erlich will aggressively pursue reduced charges and even outright dismissals! There are numerous other advantages for criminal defense attorney’s in today’s day in age, so contact attorney Ross Erlich at (323) 222-4529 or here today for your free consultation.

03 May / 2012

Ever wonder why it can take so long to get a service call from the DWP? Well, here is a great story for you.

43 year old Isaac Chavez was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on April 25 after crashing his DWP city truck into three parked cars in Van Nuys. Mr. Chavez was placed on administrative leave without pay pending a full investigation of the incident by the DWP. Los Angeles City Attorney officials stated that Mr. Chavez had two open vodka containers in his vehicle at the time of arrest.

If you have been arrested, or know someone who has been arrested, for driving under the influence (DUI), it is important to contact attorney Ross Erlich within the first 10 days after arrest so that he can postpone the automatic suspension of your license until a full administrative hearing can be held. Attorney Ross Erlich specializes in representing clients in all Los Angeles County courts, including Beverly Hills, LAX/Airport Court, Metropolitan Court, Downtown Criminal Justice Center and Van Nuys court.

If you or a loved one has questions regarding a DUI arrest, please take advantage of Attorney Ross Erlich’s free consultations.

26 Mar / 2012

The Supreme Court last week ruled, for the first time, that defendants have a right to competent advice from an attorney when dealing in plea negotiations for lighter sentences.

The Court noted that, at a minimum, the defendant must be informed of all formal offers made by the prosecution that would result in a favorable plea deal.

Writing for the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy noted that our nation’s criminal justice system is largely a “system of pleas, not a system of trials.” 94% of state convictions result from guilty pleas and not trial verdicts. Thus, it is crucial that the constitutional right to a competent lawyer extend to the back-and-forth of plea negotiations.

This nationwide trend in plea deals is also apparent in Los Angeles County courthouses. Depending on the facts of the case, it may be beneficial to discuss plea options with the prosecutor in an attempt to reduce the sentence.

If you have been charged with a DUI, other driving under the influence charges, possession of drugs or hit and runs in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, or in the Airport courthouse, it is imperative that you contact criminal defense attorney Ross Erlich as soon as possible. Retaining an attorney early on in the process can help facilitate the dialogue between your defense attorney and the prosecutor in attempts to resolve the matter before it gets filed in court or early on in the legal process.

01 Mar / 2012

Even with alcohol-related traffic fatalities on the decline, the number of deadly car accidents involving drugs is on the rise.

The California Office of Traffic Safety recently announced that 30% of all drivers killed in car accidents in 2010 tested positive for legal and/or illegal drugs. The key to the increase of arrests for “driving while drugged” is the Office of Traffic Safety’s teaming up with the California Highway Patrol to increase drug recognition police officer training.

Driving under the influence of drugs, legal or not, may still result in your arrest for DUI or other driving under the influence charges. Under Penal Code section 23152(a), you will be arrested if a police office believes that you are driving while “under the influence of drugs, or alcohol, or both.”

If you have been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and have a court appearance at the Airport Courthouse, Beverly Hills Courthouse or anywhere in the Mid-City area, contact attorney Ross Erlich as soon as possible. It is important to start working on your case early in order to pursue other possible avenues to resolve your matter without going to trial.

27 Dec / 2011

A task force set up in Los Angeles County to curb drunk driving during the holiday season racked up 1,500 arrests from December 16 through Christmas Day.

Last year, during the same ten day period, just over 1,250 people were arrested for the alleged driving under the influence violations.

More checkpoints and specially assigned law enforcement personnel are sure to be up throughout the next week and over New Years Eve so take extra precautions.

It is important to obtain legal representation as early as possible if you are arrested for DUI. If you or someone you know has been arrested for alleged driving under the influence in Los Angeles County, Beverly Hills, the Mid City area or anywhere else in Southern California, contact attorney Ross Erlich at (818) 783-5700 as soon as possible.

28 Nov / 2011

DUI arrests were up this Thanksgiving weekend 7 percent when compared to this same time a year ago, CHP officals reported.

As of this past Saturday, there had been a total of 200 DUI arrests made in Los Angeles County, compared to just 182 a year ago. While no deaths were reported in Los Angeles County so far this year, the CHP noted that 14 deaths have been reported throughout the state since Thursday.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Los Angeles County or the Mid City area, contact Attorney Ross Erlich as soon as possible to set up a free consultation and to protect your rights and license privileges before it is too late. Attorney Ross Erlich handles matters in the Los Angeles Metro Courthouse, the Beverly Hills Courthouse and all other courts in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties